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Final Fantasy: 15 Surprising Facts About Cloud

Cloud Strife is the man who is known for his spiky blond hair that uses a huge sword called Buster Sword, as a weapon. He plays the main protagonist and supporting character in many Final Fantasy games including Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake.

He is first introduced as a previous member of an elite unit known as SOLDIER but later on became a mercenary. Fortunately, he later learns to accept his past and be the leader that he is meant to be. He soon fights against Shinra, the company that drains the life out of Midgar, the resistance AVALANCHE and battles his rival, Sephiroth.

In each of his appearances, he faces new challenges and new journeys to take. And in every game, he is meant to succeed and keep peace in the world. But what many people doesn’t know is that there is more to Cloud than just being the hero that he is. He can also be a bit funny, mysterious and a lot more!

So, in this article, we have compiled 15 surprising facts about Cloud that not many know about. From seeing ghosts to being the primary suspect for the death of one of the game’s main characters and even getting his very own signature floral scent, it's all unbelievable and we’ve got it all for you here.

15 Cloud And Tifa Almost Had A 'Love' Scene

via gamerguides.com

The night before Cloud’s party entered the final dungeon, he told everyone to go and find their own reason to battle. This gives Cloud and Tifa some alone time and things got a little intimate. Depending on how well Cloud has treated Tifa throughout the game, the two will have a personal conversation under the stars. The will lead Tifa to say "Cloud... Words aren't the only thing that tells people what you're thinking...".

In the original version of Final Fantasy VII, this should have been followed with a scene showing Cloud leaving the Chocobo stable and looking as guilty as possible. However, Final Fantasy developers decided to tone it down a bit and decided to just do a fade to black scene after their very intimate talk.

14 Cloud Originally Had Slicked-Back and Brunette Hair

via fightersgeneration.com

Among all the Final Fantasy characters, Cloud Strife is probably the only character who can rock a spiky blond hairstyle. But unbeknownst to many, Cloud Strife was supposed to be a brunette and have a slick-backed hairstyle. This is because the developers wanted Cloud to be Sephiroth's complete opposite.

However, Tetsuya Nomura, the game’s artist, decided he was better off with the spiky hairstyle, so he doesn’t appear too manly in the game. He said the main protagonist must not be too masculine, so the audience can relate to him better. And this is why Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy is the cool blue-eyed protagonist with spiky blond hair.

13 Cloud Keeps His Sword Fastened To His Back With A Magnet

via finalfantasy.wikia.com

One of the biggest mysteries in the game is how Cloud keeps his massive sword fastened to his back. The sword is almost as big as his entire body, so you could just imagine how heavy it is to just back on and off his back. Although Final Fantasy never revealed the true reason, early sketches of Cloud’s character shows how his weapon possibly works.

Based on Cloud Strife's initial character design, his character comes with a circular metal piece attached to his back. This device is assumed to be the one holding the Buster Sword in place, which is thought to be a magnet. If this is true, this explains why Cloud can easily snap his sword on and off his back whenever a battle starts.

12 Fans Think Cloud Actually Killed Aeris

via fanpop.com

Although the Aeris' last scene clearly shows who killed her, many fans think it might not actually be the case. Some fans actually believe it was really Cloud who killed her. In her last scene, Sephiroth unexpectedly came down from the ceiling and quickly stabbed her from the back. Later on, Cloud is seen bringing her body to the pool that sank to its bottom. However, fans believe she wasn’t dead yet when this happened. They believe Sephiroth’s final strike on Aeris wasn’t enough to kill her.

Based on where she was stabbed, it's possible that only a few organs were damaged. The only problem was it may have also hit her spinal cord, causing her to be paralyzed, so Cloud thought she was already dead. He then decided to place her in the body of water, where she possibly died due to drowning. It's a bit of a stretch, but a lot of fans really believe it.

11 Cloud Was Supposed To Be a Detective Named Joe

via Pinterest.com

When Final Fantasy VII was still being created, the developers initially want a story about a detective named Joe. The game will be situated in New York City where the private detective hunted the people responsible for the recent explosions in the city. However, developers decided to take a totally different direction and chose to go with a super soldier named Cloud.

For players who are excited about the concept, Squaresoft actually released a similar game at a later date. This game is called Parasite Eve and it has many elements like the original concept. This includes the main protagonist playing a police officer in New York who is hunting a woman named Eve. She is said to have the ability to manipulate beings and turn them into horrible monsters.

10 Cloud Met Biggs Darklighter And Wedge Antilles

via StarWars.com

Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles are popular characters from Star Wars that have made numerous appearances, not just in tv shows and movies, but also in Final Fantasy games. Well, not technically, but two characters are named after them and appear as a duo, similar to the movies where they are both Rebels. In Final Fantasy VII, they were AVALANCHE members who destroyed Midgar’s Shinra Mako. Unfortunately, they were killed in the story, but before that, Cloud and his buddy Barrett had the pleasure of meeting the two brave soldiers.

For those who are not familiar with the two Star Wars characters, Biggs Darklighter is a friend of Luke Skywalker from Tatooine. They were together when Luke took down Death Star. As for Wedge Antilles, he was also with Luke when he battled at Hoth, Yavin, and Endor.

9 Cloud's Homeland Is Based On A Place From Norse Mythology

via well-rendered.com

Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart’s homeland is located in Nibelheim, which also happens to be a name of one of Norse mythology’s nine worlds. In Final Fantasy, the small village is situated at Mt. Nibel’s base that previously received power from the evil Shinra Electric Power Company. In Norse mythology, Nibelheim, also known as Nibel Home, is a region where dwarves are known to reside.

This isn’t the only thing that Final Fantasy got from Norse mythologies. Midgar, for instance, is also a term in Norse (Midgard) that means Earth. Another reference is Ragnarok, which is referred to as a weapon in the game but also means a series of unfortunate events that leads to the end of the world in Norse folklore.

8 Cloud And Sephiroth's Appearance Are Based On The Story Of Two Legendary Rival Swordsmen

via vcinemashow.com

The appearance of Cloud Strife and Sephiroth are based on two legendary swordsmen from Japan named Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro respectively. In the initial sketches of Cloud, his sword wasn’t as big as it is now. His Buster Sword was much smaller and chained to the pommel like Musashi. As for Sephiroth, his character designer defined him as a person with coolness and good looks. which is also referred to as kakkoii, similar to Kojiro.

Musashi is known for his excellent sword skills, as he fought more than 60 duels and was not once defeated. Kojiro, on the other hand, is a prominent swordsman in Japan and is also known to be a master of his craft.

7 Cloud Strife Has The Most Player-Controlled Scenes In The Final Fantasy Series

via play-asia.com

As of today, Final Fantasy has released a total of 15 main games since its premiere release in Japan in 1987. That is exactly 30 years ago and it doesn't even includes sequels, spin-offs, prequels, and related video games. In each franchise, players don’t just meet a new set of characters, but there are numerous appearances from the most popular Final Fantasy characters like Sephiroth, Gilgamesh, Cactuar, Cid, Squall, and a lot more.

And among all those reappearances, Cloud Strife holds the record of having the most player-controlled appearances in the game series. Moreover, he has the second most appearances in the game, following Gilgamesh. Aside from Final Fantasy VII, he also reappears in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, followed by supporting roles in other Final Fantasy VII compilations and other games.

6 Cloud Has His Own Signature Scent Released In Japan

via YouTube.com

Cloud Strife is such a popular character that a lot of his merchandise has been released in Japan. This includes figurines, jewelry, bike sets, promotional books, a replica of his Buster Sword and even his own signature scent. The perfume was first released in 2009 at the Tokyo Game Show and was sold for ¥7,140, which is approximate $78. Cloud's scent is said to be floral and fruity.

Aside from Cloud, Sephiroth, Noctis, and Lightning also got their own signature scents and they are only available in Japan. The perfumes have their own scents and are available for both males and females. Noctis’ scent comes in citrus flavor, the Lightning scent smells like a sweet peach with a touch of rose and Sephiroth’s scent smells like fresh and light.

5 Lightning Is Like The Female Version Of Cloud

via Nerdist.com

Lightning was first introduced in Final Fantasy XIII as the main protagonist in the game. In the story, her sister was suddenly declared as an enemy of Cocoon, where they live, so she did everything in her power to save her. She joined a team of chosen individuals to destroy the people behind the Cocoon. She also reappears as a supporting character in other games, where she continues to help save the world from certain doom.

According to her character designer, the idea of Lightning is based on creating a female version of Cloud Strife. He wanted the character to be athletic and a bit feminine, but still beautiful and strong. Her similarities with Cloud includes the signature cold personality and excellent military skills.

4 Cloud Can Meet The “Ghost” Of Aeris

via atamanoyare.wordpress.com

One of the saddest scenes in Final Fantasy is when players witness the unfortunate death of Aeris. Many players assumed they could eventually resurrect her, but Aeris' death is inevitable. However, some players claim Cloud can meet Aeris one more time after her death. That is, if players know exactly how to trigger it.

To trigger the ghost Aeris event, players need to choose the option “After Aeris’ Death” when in the Debug room. This option will teleport Cloud to the church where Aeris can be seen taking care of the flowers. even after her death. Of course, there is a possibility that this scene is only a glitch. but as long as players get to see Aeris one last time, it doesn’t really matter to them.

3 Cloud’s Naughty Side

via YouTube.com

Every once in a while, Final Fantasy shows the naughty side of their different characters. Particularly Cloud, who had a number of funny scenes, including pretending to be a woman, almost having an intimate scene with Tifa and a lot more. But what is really surprising is the fact that there is actually so much more seen that didn’t make it in the North American version game.

Fortunately, fans can still see most of the scenes in the Japanese version of the game. This includes the Honeybee Inn, which was intended to be a brothel where Cloud could see photos of the women available in the wall. Of course, there was also the Cloud and Tifa's night of passion in the stable for Chocobo and having to do the walk of shame in the morning.

2 Cloud Was Voiced By Four Different Voice Actors

via dogomovies.com

In all of Cloud's appearances in different Final Fantasy games, he's had different voice actors do his voice. Kenyu Horiuchi lent his voice for the arcade version, Nozomu Sasaki for the home console version and Takahiro Sakurai from 2002 to present. Meanwhile, Steve Burton took care of the English version.

Kenyu Horiuchi also played other roles like Raiden of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Twisted Fate of League of Legends and Prince Charming from Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. As for Nozomu Sasaki, he also played Gekko Hayate from Naruto, Shadi in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Mello of Death Note and Enishi Yukishiro in Rurouni Kenshin. As for Takahiro Sakurai, he also voiced for Reigen Arataka for Mob Psycho 100, and Uta of Tokyo Ghoul. Last but not the least is Steve Burton, he's also well known for his work on General Hospital as Jason Morgan.

1 Cloud Appeared In Super Smash Bros.

via ssbwiki.com

Final Fantasy VII is undeniably the most popular game in the series. For that reason, it's not really surprising that most of the characters from the game are featured in other games. This includes Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii U and 3DS and the Kingdom Hearts Series.

Aside from Cloud, Super Smash Bros. also features characters from other Nintendo games like Kirby, Fox McCloud, Link, Pikachu, Mega Man, Ryu, Bayonetta and even Pac-Man. As for Kingdom Hearts, Cloud is seen battling not just Sephiroth but also Sora. And then later on, he's also seen in Olympus Coliseum as a digital replica assisting Hercules and Sora as they look to defeat Hades.